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comments:

Neo - a lot of westerners do see Louis Riel as an early defender of western rights against an Ontario incursion. Even the Selkirk settler descendants were generally on his side in the Manitoba dispute. I read a book many years ago when researching this topic, written by someone from the Selkirk area who supported Riel.

For those whose families were here before Canada bought the area from the Hudson's Bay Company, the arrival of Canadians all ready to re-survey land their way, ignoring the traditional long, skinny, river-front lots, was threatening. Even more so was the apparent willingness of some of the 'officials' to ignore the inhabitants' claims to their homesteads because of a perceived lack of documentation.

I don't defend Riel totally, but I don't regard him as a traitor to Canada. He was the first of many to try to defend Westerners against Canadians.